This invention relates generally to computer desks, and in particular, to computer desks for use in schools. Although the invention is described for use in schools, it will be appreciated that the computer desk of the present invention can be used in other environments, such as a home.
Schools are using computers more and more frequently as part of their education curriculum. Typically, schools have computer labs or computer rooms which are dedicated solely to computer use. Such computer rooms often have one or more long tables on which two or more computers are placed. The room may also include a printer and other peripheral equipment. Although such rooms are well suited for their use in education, the rooms must be reserved by individual classes so that only one class will use the room at a time. Relying on room availability creates unneeded burdens for teachers in planning their classes. Further, the dedication of the room for use as a computer room prevents the room from being used as a general classroom or for other purposes.
It would be preferable if students were provided with computers at their desks. This would overcome the problems associated with dedicated computer rooms. There are numerous styles of computer desks currently available. However, none of the computer desks can function both as a flat desk upon which a student can write and as a computer desk. Further they are not well suited for use in schools. The desks currently available generally have at least the computer monitor sitting on the desk surface. Obviously, such placement of the monitor will prevent the desk from being used for any other purpose. Office desks have been made in which the monitor is placed below the desk top, and a glass window is placed above the monitor, so that the monitor will be visible to the user. Such desks overcome the problem with the monitor on the desk top. However, they create other problems for school use. Such desks generally have a keyboard drawer which pulls out. To use the keyboard, and hence the computer, the user of the computer must back up. However, in a classroom in which the desks are arranged in rows, the student may not be able to back up a distance sufficient to enable him to use the keyboard.